Howard Athenaeum
Encyclopedia
The Howard Athenæum in Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the most famous theaters in Boston history. Founded in 1845, it remained an institution of culture and learning for most of its years, finally closing in 1953.
sect, the flimsy tent-like structure housed a small but loyal congregation who eventually abandoned the site following disappointment with the minister's promise that the world would end in 1844. After Armageddon failed to materialize, the founder of the sect, William Miller
, an ex-Deputy Sheriff from Poultney, Vermont
, was discredited and the Millerites
moved on. The temple was then rebuilt as a playhouse in 1845, only to burn to the ground a few months later. In 1846 a new structure was designed by Isaiah Rogers
in a Gothic-like style that was unique among American theaters. The new building, made of Quincy granite
and capable of seating 1,360 patrons, was rushed to completion with the aid of funds from a local brewery. It reopened October 5, 1846, at 34 Howard Street in Scollay Square
, the area that is now occupied by Boston's Government Center
.
For the first several decades of its existence, it successfully vied with the Boston Museum
as that city's leading playhouse. While the Boston Museum relied heavily on its great stock company, the Howard became the home of leading touring actors. In an 1860 playbill, the Howard Athenaeum proudly announced that it hosted performances of "opera, tragedy, comedy, burlesque, vaudeville, minstrels, and magicians." Among the great names regularly appearing at the Howard were Edwin Booth
, Charlotte Cushman and other stellar performers of that era, including a young John Wilkes Booth
, who played Hamlet. The playhouse soon became famous for its opera productions: Verdi's Ernani
, which had its American premier at the Howard in 1847, may have been Boston's first exposure to Italian bel canto
opera. A program for the Ernani performance at the Howard is owned by the Boston Athenæum
, which has a very small but interesting collection of programs from the Howard's early years dating from 1847 to 1848.
On opening night, the Boston Courier for October 13, 1845, had this to say:
Ballet, opera and serious drama would be the main fare at the Howard for the next twenty years and, on that first night, the Howard Athenaeum opened with a production of Richard Sheridan's The School for Scandal
. For the first four months of its life, the Howard seemed to enjoy a blessed existence, until on February 25, 1846, during a performance of Pizzaro, a ball of fire representing the sun set the scenery on fire and the building burned to the ground. However, the theatre reopened on October 5, 1846 with Richard Sheridan's The Rivals
.
opera, Don Pasquale, but, upon arriving, refused to sit in a segregated section for the show. She was forcibly removed and pushed down a flight of stairs. She eventually won a desegregation lawsuit against the managers of the Howard Athenaeum and received $500 in a settlement.
By the late 1860s, however, the theater had lost much of its audience to its more popular rivals— the Boston Museum and the Boston Theatre
— and had begun presenting variety shows. In 1869, The Howard Athenaeum introduced an era of vaudeville with "Lydia Thomson and Her British Blondes.", By the end of the 19th century, the theatre had completely switched over to burlesque
with performers such as Ann Corio
, Sally Rand
, Fanny Brice
, Gypsy Rose Lee
, Sophie Tucker
and "Tillie the Tassel." From its fashionable grand opera days in the mid-nineteenth century, the Old Howard had become a tawdry establishment especially beloved by Harvard undergraduates for its strip-tease acts. President Kennedy was allegedly a regular patron of the Old Howard in his Harvard days (The Harvard class of 1937 even made Ann Corio an honorary member.) The Boston Phoenix for February 17, 2007, said: "...the Howard hosted everyone in show biz from John Wilkes Booth to Phil Silvers to Minsky’s Burlesque star Ann Corio to an “exotic Indian dancer” named Princess Lahoma." Plus a few vice raids. The list becomes even longer when you add these Howard alumni: Abbott & Costello, Jimmy Durante
, Fred Allen
, W. C. Fields
, Jackie Gleason
, Al Jolson
, Buster Keaton
, Bert Lahr
and Jerry Lewis
. And, even more unbelievable, boxers John L. Sullivan
and Rocky Marciano
gave boxing demonstrations on the stage. During this exciting era of burlesque and variety, the Howard would advertise: "There is always Something Doing at the Old Howard."
Due to the indecency charges, the city of Boston refused to renew the Old Howard's license in 1953, so the auditorium was dark for nearly a decade. In 1960 the Howard National Theatre and Museum Committee was formed to raise $1,500,000 to refurbish “Boston's most celebrated theatre” and restore it to the legitimate fold. However, before the committee could realize its ambition, the building had a small but not devastating fire. Though many people supported the push for a complete renovation, the city tore the building down promptly after the fire before anybody could protest. This controversial incident occurred at the height of Boston's urban renewal
initiative and not much was considered historic except colonial-era structures.
(1850-1898) was an American stage actress. The daughter of Edward Loomis Davenport and Fanny Vining, she was born in London, England, but was brought to America when a child and educated in the Boston public schools. When seven years old she appeared at the Howard Athenæum in Boston, as the child of Metamora.
Barney Fagan
(born in Boston, MA, January 12, 1850—died 1937) made his first professional appearance in his native city of Boston at the famous Howard Athenaeum in 1860, as the Cabin Boy in the "Pilot of Brest." He remained at this theatre several seasons until 1865 when he played his first minstrel engagement with the Morris Brothers in Boston. In 1870 Mr. Fagan went to St. Johns, New Brunswick, Canada, and appeared with Pete Lee’s Minstrels. In 1873 he joined Buckley’s Serenaders in Boston, and took a fellow dancer, Joe Parks, as a partner. During the period 1873-1876, Fagan and Parks, known as the American Lads, played variety engagements. In 1876 he did the famous Heifer dance with Richard Golden in Evangeline. Mr. Fagan next joined John Fenton in a dancing specialty, and continued with him until 1878, when he formed a partnership with Lizzie Mulvey, which lasted one season.
Nathaniel Carl Goodwin
(July 25, 1857 – January 31, 1919) was an American actor and vaudevillian born in Boston. While clerk in a large shop he studied for the stage and made his first appearance in 1874 at the Howard Athenaeum in Boston in Stuart Robson's company as the newsboy in Joseph Bradford's Law in New York. The next year he appeared at Tony Pastor's Opera House in New York City where he began his career as a vaudevillian.
William Edward Sheridan (Jun. 1, 1837 - May 18, 1887), born in Boston, where he made his debut at the Howard Athenaeum in 1858, he became a leading portrayer of villains and tragic figures in Cincinnati until the outbreak of the Civil War. After the war, despite a badly injured arm, he continued to be an important actor, his notable roles including Othello, Shylock, and Sir Giles Overreach. Sheridan also was the first American Beamish McCloud in Arrah na Pogue (1865). Following a long San Francisco engagement, he left for a tour of Australia, where he died. Otis Skinner remembered the virile actor with dark, deep set eyes as a man of splendid power, with one of the most intriguing voices I ever listened to. Others remarked on his voice's striking resonance.
Henry Denman Thompson (1833-?) For three generations his ancestors had been born and lived in Swanzey New Hampshire. In 1847 when he was fourteen years old, he returned with his family to Swanzey, New Hampshire, the town which became the inspiration for writing his famous play, "The Old Homestead." While living there in Swanzey, Denman attended the Mount Caesar Seminary (now the Mount Caesar Union
Library). His first appearance on the stage was at the Howard Athenaeum, Boston (1850) where he acted as a "supe" for Charlotte Cushman in "Lady Macbeth."
History
Of all the theaters founded in Boston, the Howard Athenæum was one of the most famous as well as the most lamented. Popular throughout New England, the theater was affectionately called "The Old Howard." Built in 1843 as a church by the MilleriteMillerite
Millerite is a nickel sulfide mineral, NiS. It is brassy in colour and has an acicular habit, often forming radiating masses and furry aggregates...
sect, the flimsy tent-like structure housed a small but loyal congregation who eventually abandoned the site following disappointment with the minister's promise that the world would end in 1844. After Armageddon failed to materialize, the founder of the sect, William Miller
William Miller (preacher)
William Miller was an American Baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid-nineteenth century North American religious movement now known as Adventism. Among his direct spiritual heirs are several major religious denominations, including Seventh-day Adventists and Advent Christians...
, an ex-Deputy Sheriff from Poultney, Vermont
Poultney, Vermont
Poultney is a village in Rutland County of the U.S. state of Vermont. The village is entirely within the town of Poultney. The population was 1,612 at the 2010 census...
, was discredited and the Millerites
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
moved on. The temple was then rebuilt as a playhouse in 1845, only to burn to the ground a few months later. In 1846 a new structure was designed by Isaiah Rogers
Isaiah Rogers
Isaiah Rogers was a US architect who practiced in Mobile, Alabama, Boston, Massachusetts, New York City, and Cincinnati, Ohio.-Background:...
in a Gothic-like style that was unique among American theaters. The new building, made of Quincy granite
Quincy Quarries Reservation
The Quincy Quarries, in Quincy, Massachusetts, were the site of the first railroad in the United States and produced granite for over a century. The quarries are now open to the public as a recreation area.-History:...
and capable of seating 1,360 patrons, was rushed to completion with the aid of funds from a local brewery. It reopened October 5, 1846, at 34 Howard Street in Scollay Square
Scollay Square
Scollay Square was a vibrant city square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It was named for William Scollay, a prominent local developer and militia officer who bought a landmark four-story merchant building at the intersection of Cambridge and Court Streets in 1795...
, the area that is now occupied by Boston's Government Center
Government Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Government Center is an area in downtown Boston, bounded by Cambridge, Court, Congress, and Sudbury Streets. Formerly the site of Scollay Square, it is now the location of Boston City Hall, two Suffolk County courthouses, two state office buildings, and two federal office buildings, a major MBTA...
.
For the first several decades of its existence, it successfully vied with the Boston Museum
Boston Museum (theatre)
The Boston Museum , also called the Boston Museum and Gallery of Fine Arts, was a theatre, wax museum, natural history museum, zoo, and art museum in 19th-century Boston, Massachusetts...
as that city's leading playhouse. While the Boston Museum relied heavily on its great stock company, the Howard became the home of leading touring actors. In an 1860 playbill, the Howard Athenaeum proudly announced that it hosted performances of "opera, tragedy, comedy, burlesque, vaudeville, minstrels, and magicians." Among the great names regularly appearing at the Howard were Edwin Booth
Edwin Booth
Edwin Thomas Booth was a famous 19th century American actor who toured throughout America and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869 he founded Booth's Theatre in New York, a spectacular theatre that was quite modern for its time...
, Charlotte Cushman and other stellar performers of that era, including a young John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
, who played Hamlet. The playhouse soon became famous for its opera productions: Verdi's Ernani
Ernani
Ernani is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Hernani by Victor Hugo. The first production took place at La Fenice Theatre, Venice on 9 March 1844...
, which had its American premier at the Howard in 1847, may have been Boston's first exposure to Italian bel canto
Bel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
opera. A program for the Ernani performance at the Howard is owned by the Boston Athenæum
Boston Athenæum
Boston Athenæum is one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States. It is also one of only sixteen extant membership libraries, meaning that patrons pay a yearly subscription fee to use the Athenæum's services...
, which has a very small but interesting collection of programs from the Howard's early years dating from 1847 to 1848.
On opening night, the Boston Courier for October 13, 1845, had this to say:
Ballet, opera and serious drama would be the main fare at the Howard for the next twenty years and, on that first night, the Howard Athenaeum opened with a production of Richard Sheridan's The School for Scandal
The School for Scandal
The School for Scandal is a play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on May 8, 1777.The prologue, written by David Garrick, commends the play, its subject, and its author to the audience...
. For the first four months of its life, the Howard seemed to enjoy a blessed existence, until on February 25, 1846, during a performance of Pizzaro, a ball of fire representing the sun set the scenery on fire and the building burned to the ground. However, the theatre reopened on October 5, 1846 with Richard Sheridan's The Rivals
The Rivals
The Rivals, a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, is a comedy of manners in five acts. It was first performed on 17 January 1775.- Production :...
.
Milestones
During its early period, the Howard Athenaeum played host to many performing superstars, among them was the eminent comedian, William Warren, who was for years considered the top comedian in the nation. Scandal also surfaced when, on May 4, 1853, the Howard Athenaeum found itself under unfavorable national scrutiny. Sarah Parker Remond, a medical doctor, anti-slavery activist and lecturer with the American Anti-Slavery Society, had bought a ticket through the mail for the DonizettiGaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
opera, Don Pasquale, but, upon arriving, refused to sit in a segregated section for the show. She was forcibly removed and pushed down a flight of stairs. She eventually won a desegregation lawsuit against the managers of the Howard Athenaeum and received $500 in a settlement.
By the late 1860s, however, the theater had lost much of its audience to its more popular rivals— the Boston Museum and the Boston Theatre
Boston Theatre
The Boston Theatre was a theatre in Boston, Massachusetts.-Further reading:* Eugene Tompkins. History of the Boston Theatre 1854-1901. Houghton Mifflin, 1908. -External links:...
— and had begun presenting variety shows. In 1869, The Howard Athenaeum introduced an era of vaudeville with "Lydia Thomson and Her British Blondes.", By the end of the 19th century, the theatre had completely switched over to burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
with performers such as Ann Corio
Ann Corio
Ann Corio was a prominent American burlesque ecdysiast and actress. Unlike others in her profession, Ann Corio did not have a stage name.- Biography :...
, Sally Rand
Sally Rand
Sally Rand was a burlesque dancer and actress, most noted for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance. She also performed under the name Billie Beck.-Early life and career:...
, Fanny Brice
Fanny Brice
Fanny Brice was a popular and influential American illustrated song "model," comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress, who made many stage, radio and film appearances and is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series, The Baby Snooks Show...
, Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque entertainer famous for her striptease act. She was also an actress, author, and playwright whose 1957 memoir was made into the stage musical and film Gypsy.-Early life:...
, Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker was a Russian/Ukrainian-born American singer and actress. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century...
and "Tillie the Tassel." From its fashionable grand opera days in the mid-nineteenth century, the Old Howard had become a tawdry establishment especially beloved by Harvard undergraduates for its strip-tease acts. President Kennedy was allegedly a regular patron of the Old Howard in his Harvard days (The Harvard class of 1937 even made Ann Corio an honorary member.) The Boston Phoenix for February 17, 2007, said: "...the Howard hosted everyone in show biz from John Wilkes Booth to Phil Silvers to Minsky’s Burlesque star Ann Corio to an “exotic Indian dancer” named Princess Lahoma." Plus a few vice raids. The list becomes even longer when you add these Howard alumni: Abbott & Costello, Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
, Fred Allen
Fred Allen
Fred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it...
, W. C. Fields
W. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
, Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
, Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
, Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
, Bert Lahr
Bert Lahr
Bert Lahr was an American actor and comedian. Lahr is remembered today for his roles as the Cowardly Lion and Kansas farmworker Zeke in The Wizard of Oz, but was also well-known for work in burlesque, vaudeville, and on Broadway.-Early life:Lahr was born in New York City, of German-Jewish heritage...
and Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
. And, even more unbelievable, boxers John L. Sullivan
John L. Sullivan
John Lawrence Sullivan , also known as the Boston Strong Boy, was recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing from February 7, 1881 to 1892, and is generally recognized as the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing under the London Prize Ring rules...
and Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...
gave boxing demonstrations on the stage. During this exciting era of burlesque and variety, the Howard would advertise: "There is always Something Doing at the Old Howard."
After the show was over
As the burlesque performances got more risqué with each year, the Boston vice squad made the Old Howard the object of their attention. The Boston Vice squad made a 16mm film during one of their raids in 1953 and captured on film the performance of "Irma the Body" (real name: Mary Goodneighbor). This film footage resulted in an indecency hearing which eventually led to the closing of the Old Howard in 1953.Due to the indecency charges, the city of Boston refused to renew the Old Howard's license in 1953, so the auditorium was dark for nearly a decade. In 1960 the Howard National Theatre and Museum Committee was formed to raise $1,500,000 to refurbish “Boston's most celebrated theatre” and restore it to the legitimate fold. However, before the committee could realize its ambition, the building had a small but not devastating fire. Though many people supported the push for a complete renovation, the city tore the building down promptly after the fire before anybody could protest. This controversial incident occurred at the height of Boston's urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
initiative and not much was considered historic except colonial-era structures.
Chronology of performances and events at the Howard Athenaeum
| Dates | Event | Notables | Of Interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 13, 1845 | The School for Scandal | Written by Richard Sheridan | Opening Night - Sell Out Crowd |
| February 25, 1846 | Pizarro | Fire burned down theater | |
| 1847 | Verdi's Ernani | American Premier of Verdi's Ernani | |
| April 28, 1847 | Linda de Chamounix | A lyrical drama in three acts | American Premier of Linda de Chamounix |
| May 1, 1847 | Norma: A Grand Lyrical Tragedy | Written by Bellini | Performed by the Italian Opera Company |
| 1850 | MacBeth | Charlotte Cushman as Lady MacBeth | |
| 1853 | Don Pasquale Opera | Sara Parker Remond lawsuit | |
| December 1, 1853 | Cymbeline | Mrs. T.S. Hamblin, Actress | - |
| 1857 | The Rights of Man | Written by Oliver S. Leland | |
| 1860 | Pilot of Brest | Play | |
| May 4, 1860 | The Romance of a Poor Young Man | Mrs. William H. Smith, Actress | |
| 1861 | Richelieu | Charles Barron, Actor | |
| July 15, 1862 | Adah Isaacs Menken | Dancer | |
| December 8, 1862 | Leah, the Forsaken | Charles Barron, Actor | Augustin Daly's adaptation of "Deborah" |
| March 1, 1880 | Uncle Tom's Cabin | Written by Louisa May Alcott | |
| March 21, 1881 | Gifford's Luck | Written by Charles Hoyt | A tragic melodrama |
| January 9, 1886 | Two John's | ||
| January 1, 1894 | Olio: The Kouta-Kouta Dancers | Directed by Mme. Carre | |
| December 3, 1951 | Georgia Sothern | Burlesque | |
Actors and actresses who began their careers at the Howard Athenaeum
Fanny DavenportFanny Davenport
Fanny Lily Gipsy Davenport was an English-American stage actress. The daughter of Edward Loomis Davenport and Fanny Vining, she was born in London, England, but was brought to America when a child and educated in the Boston public schools...
(1850-1898) was an American stage actress. The daughter of Edward Loomis Davenport and Fanny Vining, she was born in London, England, but was brought to America when a child and educated in the Boston public schools. When seven years old she appeared at the Howard Athenæum in Boston, as the child of Metamora.
Barney Fagan
Barney Fagan
Barney Fagan was a 19th-century American performer, director, choreographer, and composer. He is recognized as being a progenitor of both music and dance genres, and is often referred to as the "Father of Tap Dance."...
(born in Boston, MA, January 12, 1850—died 1937) made his first professional appearance in his native city of Boston at the famous Howard Athenaeum in 1860, as the Cabin Boy in the "Pilot of Brest." He remained at this theatre several seasons until 1865 when he played his first minstrel engagement with the Morris Brothers in Boston. In 1870 Mr. Fagan went to St. Johns, New Brunswick, Canada, and appeared with Pete Lee’s Minstrels. In 1873 he joined Buckley’s Serenaders in Boston, and took a fellow dancer, Joe Parks, as a partner. During the period 1873-1876, Fagan and Parks, known as the American Lads, played variety engagements. In 1876 he did the famous Heifer dance with Richard Golden in Evangeline. Mr. Fagan next joined John Fenton in a dancing specialty, and continued with him until 1878, when he formed a partnership with Lizzie Mulvey, which lasted one season.
Nathaniel Carl Goodwin
Nathaniel Carl Goodwin
Nathaniel Carl Goodwin was an American actor and vaudevillian born in Boston. While clerk in a large shop he studied for the stage and made his first appearance in 1874 at the Howard Athenaeum in Boston in Stuart Robson's company as the newsboy in Joseph Bradford's Law in New York...
(July 25, 1857 – January 31, 1919) was an American actor and vaudevillian born in Boston. While clerk in a large shop he studied for the stage and made his first appearance in 1874 at the Howard Athenaeum in Boston in Stuart Robson's company as the newsboy in Joseph Bradford's Law in New York. The next year he appeared at Tony Pastor's Opera House in New York City where he began his career as a vaudevillian.
William Edward Sheridan (Jun. 1, 1837 - May 18, 1887), born in Boston, where he made his debut at the Howard Athenaeum in 1858, he became a leading portrayer of villains and tragic figures in Cincinnati until the outbreak of the Civil War. After the war, despite a badly injured arm, he continued to be an important actor, his notable roles including Othello, Shylock, and Sir Giles Overreach. Sheridan also was the first American Beamish McCloud in Arrah na Pogue (1865). Following a long San Francisco engagement, he left for a tour of Australia, where he died. Otis Skinner remembered the virile actor with dark, deep set eyes as a man of splendid power, with one of the most intriguing voices I ever listened to. Others remarked on his voice's striking resonance.
Henry Denman Thompson (1833-?) For three generations his ancestors had been born and lived in Swanzey New Hampshire. In 1847 when he was fourteen years old, he returned with his family to Swanzey, New Hampshire, the town which became the inspiration for writing his famous play, "The Old Homestead." While living there in Swanzey, Denman attended the Mount Caesar Seminary (now the Mount Caesar Union
Library). His first appearance on the stage was at the Howard Athenaeum, Boston (1850) where he acted as a "supe" for Charlotte Cushman in "Lady Macbeth."
External links
- Howard Athenaeum, novelty theatre, Rich & Stetson proprietors, John Stetson business manager. Broadside, 19th c. Yale University Library.
- Library of Congress. HABS
- The Story of the Old Howard
- Old Howard Burlesque Program
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/gigharmon/3417151536/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/gigharmon/3416343525/